Cargill plans to restart Alberta beef plant on 4 May

After closing a beef processing plant in High River, Alberta due to hundreds of coronavirus infections, Cargill says it will reopen the facility as of 4 May.
calendar icon 30 April 2020
clock icon 1 minute read

According to Reuters, Cargill issued a statement saying it would resume operations after a 14-day temporary shutdown, with a single shift a day beginning on 4 May. The company announced the temporary closure of the plant on 20 April. The plant represents nearly 36 percent of Canada’s total beef processing capacity.

The company said all healthy employees from its slaughter department who have not been in contact with someone infected with COVID-19 for 14 days are asked to report to work. Employees should also practice social distancing in the facility.

As of Tuesday 28 April, 759 cases of COVID-19 had been found in workers from the Cargill plant, according to Alberta Health Services data, with 1,167 total cases linked to the plant's outbreak. One worker has died.

Health officials have said carpooling by workers to the plant was a contributing factor. On Wednesday, Cargill said busses with protective barriers between the seats will be provided as part of its new safety measures. Additional barriers have also been installed in bathrooms and lockers have been reassigned to provide workers with more space.

Read more about this story here.

© 2000 - 2024 - Global Ag Media. All Rights Reserved | No part of this site may be reproduced without permission.